Transport-bed.



No. 63|.962. Patented Aug. 29, I899. J. P. LEIN.

TRANSPORT BED Application filed Mar. 2, 1899.

'No Model.) 2 Sl1eets-Sheet l,

WITNESSES Patented Aug. 29, I899.

v No. 63|,962.

J. P. LEIN.

TRANSPORT BED.

(Application file:

\ Mar. 2, 1899 2 Sheets Sheet 2,

(No Mt sdel.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN P. LEIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TRANSPOflT-BED.

SPECIFICATION forming part 'of Letters Patent No. 631,962, dated August29, 1899. Application filed March 2,1899. Serial No. 707,433. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN P. LEIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Transport-Beds, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact speci-' fication.

This invention relates to beds designed for use in transports and otherplaces where it is desirable to aggregate a large number of beds orberths.

The object of the invention is to provide means whereby the transport,room, or other place may be quickly and conveniently fitted up with alarge number of beds or berths.

In the fitting out of transports it is desirable that the berths may beconstructed with the least possible disarrangement of the constructionof the transport. For instance, in fitting out a transport-ship whereitis desired to utilize every available bit of space for sleeping purposesit often happens that a pipe or other object occupies a part of thespace intended for the berths. In such cases where the berths are fittedto the ship in the manner heretofore customary it has been necessary tomake special alterations in the berths tofit them around such objects.It is also desirable that the entire berth structure shall be capable ofbeing removed in order toallow the berths to be taken out and the spaceused for the storage of freight when necessary or to make the supportingstructure so light that it will not interfere with the dis posal offreight. According to my invention I propose to provide a structure fromwhich the individual berths may be removed at will in order to allow thefloors or berths to be cleaned or to allow the space to be used for thestorage of freight, or, if preferred, to allow the entire berthstructure to be conveniently removed. I further propose to provide astructure which can be quickly and conveniently fitted to any transportwithout the necessity of devising special plans for the alteration ofthe transport or the berth structure.

A further feature of the invention is that no surface or cracks areexposed upon or in which vermin or filth can accumulate.

The invention also possesses other features of advantage,which will moreclearly hereinafter appear and which will be pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which I have illustrated one of theforms which the invention may take in practice, Figure 1 is aperspective view of a system of berths constructed in accordance with myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a top view showing the ends of two individual berths. Fig. 3is a detail side view, partly in section, showing the manner ofsupporting the individual berths upon the supporting structure. Fig. 4is a detail sectional view of the foot of one of the vertical supports.Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively end and bottom detail views of thesupportingheads; and Fig. 7 is a side view, partly in section, showingthe supporting-knobs in detail and their manner of attachment to thesupports.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 1 1, &c., represent anumber of vertical supports placed at intervals in parallel lines alongthe deck of the transport to be fitted out, the respective lines beingseparated from each other a distance equal to the width of one or moreberths and the individual supports in the respective lines beingsupported from each other a distance equal to the length of one berth.Under normal conditions it will be found sufficient to separate thelines from each other a distance equal to the Width of two berths and toseparate the individual supports in the respective lines from each othera distance equal to the length of one berth. These vertical supports maybe held in position in any suitable manner; but in the fitting out oftransport-ships I prefer to brace them between the decks and the rackwhich is ordinarily found below the deck for the purpose of storinglife-preservers, substantially as is shown in the drawings. In thisinstance the supports are shown as having a screw-thread 2 cut on thelower end and adapted to engage an interior thread cut in the foot-piece3, the latter being adapted to rest in a socket 4, attached to the floorin any suitable manner. The foot-piece should also be provided with thelocking-screw 5.

The upper end of the vertical support may be braced against the upperdeck or the lifepreserver rack or any other suitable place.

is i I 631,962

In the drawings I have shown in dotted lines a portion of the upper deckagainst which the support 1 is braced. With the construction here shownthe supporting-piece maybe braced against the upper deck at the top andby turning the foot-piece 3 at the bottom the support will be rigidlybraced between the decks and may be locked in position by turning thescrew 5. It will be understood, how ever, that the screw-thread 2 is notessential in the carrying out of the invention, and in many instances itwill be found desirable to dispense with the same and have smoothsurfaces on the end of the support and the interior of the foot-piece,locking the parts by the screw 5.

Gross-supports 6 6 6, &c., are carried by the vertical supports 1 1 andare located one above the other, the number of cross-supports varying ofcourse according to the number of tiers of berths desired. In thedrawings three tiers are shown, and therefore three cross-pieces,one'above the other, are necessary.

Each individual berth comprises a rigid frame 7, constructed andsupporting the bedding in any suitable manner. In the drawings I haveshown a frame comprising two side parts and two under parts joined toform a rectangular frame and having depending auxiliary parts 8 belowsaid parts '7 and canvas or other suitable material 9 being stretchedfrom the side parts 7 across the auxiliary parts 8 to form a bed-bottom.Each berth therefore comprises an independent and separable part fromthe rest of the structure, each berth being also a rigid berththat is, aberth having a rigid frame, it being understood that the bottoms orother parts of the berth may be made of any material, yielding orotherwise.

Upon the corner of each frame is formed a head 10, having a slot 11 inthe end thereof, and upon the vertical supports and cross-supports, atintervals equal to the width of the berths, are formed knobs 12 12, &c.,at the outer and inner sides of the berths and adapted to engage theheads 10 and fit into the slots 11 thereof. In the drawings I haveillustrated a preferred form of head and preferred form of knob, thehead having a part 13, adapted to engage the end or side rail of theframe 7, and a part 14, adapted to engage the side or end rail of theframe. A part 15 projects beyond the frame and has formed therein achamber 16 and a slot 11, the chamber 16 being adapted to receive theenlarged part of the knob 12 and the slot 11 to receive the contractedpart of the knob, the contraction being such that the head will readilyfit upon the knob 12, the latter being received and held within thechamber 16, thereby preventing the head from being disengaged from theknob except by lifting it therefrom. In practice the part 14: may bemade sufiiciently large to allow the side part 7 to slip therein, itbeing unnecessary to thread either part either before or after the sidebar is thus slipped in. A hole is drilled through the head of the pipe,and the end of the auxiliary rail 8 is inserted through the holeand'riveted at the top, substantially as is shown in detail in Fig. 3. Ihave also shown in the drawings a preferred form of thesupporting-knobs. In order to avoid as much as possible the threading ofpipes and the consequent expense in the construction of the supportingstructure, I prefer to cut the cross-supports 6 squarely at their ends,as shown in detail in Fig. 2. A semicircular plate 17 17 is adapted to.fit against the vertical support 1 and carries thereon thesupporting-knobs 12. This plate is adapted to be clamped to the verticalpipe in any suitable manner. In the drawings it is shown as being heldin place by two rivets 18 18. Upon the plate 17 is formed an extension19, against which the ends of the pipe 6 .are adapted to tit, and uponthe extensionpiece 19 is formed a projecting lock 20,adapted to fit intothe interior of the pipe 6 and be held in engagement therewith by a pin21. At the middle of the cross-pieces where the supporting-knobs are tobe placed a plate 17, adapted to fit the surface of the cross-support,may be clamped thereto by any suitable meanssuch, for instance, as arivet 18and upon opposite sides of the plate 17 may be formed the knobs12.

In practice the supporting structure is placed in position by placingthe vertical uprights between the decks of the transport, attachingthereto the plates 1'7 at the proper intervals, then placing thecross-pipe 6 in position upon the lugs 20, and clamping the samethereto. The plates 17 are then placed in proper position upon thecross-braces 6, and the individual berths are placed in position bysimply slipping the slotted heads upon the proper supporting-knobs. Anyone or more of the berths may be lifted out of position without in anywise disarranging the rest of the structure. E is frequently necessary,particularly where the structure is used in transport-ships for troops,&c., to remove the occupant of one or more of the berths withoutremoving him from his bed or without disturbing his fellow occupants.With the construction here shown any individual berth may be lifted outof position, leaving the occupant entirely undisturbed and the berthused as a stretcher to carry the occupant to any place,

It will be observed that there are no exposed surfaces, nooks, orcavities in which vermin or filth can accumulate. When the berths areremoved, the only exposed surfaces are the supporting-knobs, and uponthese obviously there is no opportunity given for the collection ofvermin. Likewise the chamber 16 is always open through the slot 11, andmatter cannot accumulate therein. If through any cause any vermin orother matter should get into the chamber 16, as soon as the berth is putinto position the knob 12 will force the matter out through the slot 11.It will also be observed that a few or all of the berths may be removedalmost instantly to allow the space occupied thereby to be used for thestorage of freight or other purposes. If desired, the entire supportingstructure may be removed without delay and put up again or in anotherplace Without material inconvenience.

Having thus described my invention, I declare that what I claim as new,and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a bed-bottom, the combination of a rectangular frame, acorner-piece at each corner thereof comprising a slotted head adapted toreceive and be supported upon a knob, auxiliary side rails locatedimmedi ately below the said rails of the frame, and a fabric attached tothe sides and ends of the frame, said fabric being stretched over saidauxiliary rails to form the bottom and side walls of the bed-bottom, andthe ends of said auxiliary side rails passing through the respectivecorner-pieces and the frame and being adapted to bind the same together,substantially as described.

2. In a bed-bottom, the combination with the side and end rails of acorner-piece having a socket adapted to receive the side rail and asocket adapted to receive the end rail,

a projecting portion having a chamber therein, said portion also havinga slot leading to said chamber, and an auxiliary side rail, said siderail passing through the said cornerpiece and adapted to bind the sameand one or more parts of the frame together, substan tially asdescribed.

3. The combination of a plurality of upright supports, cross-supports.carried thereby, knobs having enlarged heads carried by said supportsand cross-supports, a plurality of independent separate berthscomprising frames'havin g corner-pieces upon the corners thereof,provided with slotted heads adapted to engage said knobs, auxiliary siderails located parallel to the side rails of said frame, the ends of saidauxiliary side rails passing through the respective corner-pieces andthe said frame and being adapted to bind the same together, and meansfor expanding said uprights whereby the same may be braced between theupper and lower decks, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN P. LEIN.

Vitnesses:

C. V. EDWARDS, GEO. W. HEss.

